What is something you wish you knew when you were in high school that would have helped you in your career?

Dylan: There may not be a way to do this other than experiencing more of life, but I’ve found that as I’ve gotten older, I a) care less and less about what other people think, and b) don’t have the answers to nearly as much as I once thought I did. In high school, I thought I knew it all and cared about what others thought, which precluded me from getting involved in some activities or clubs that I think I would have enjoyed tremendously and learned a lot from (if I could go back, I’d play an instrument!). I wish I knew how valuable it would be to try new things and not worry about what others think—just focus on the things and experiences you find interesting!

How can the Stevenson alumni community support your business?

Dylan: We offer online ordering at www.trythesweetspot.com, but to be candid, you can likely find most of the candy we offer a little cheaper elsewhere. Call us old school, but our focus has always been on creating a unique, real-world experience for the town(s) we operate in versus online. We don’t have a location in the northwest suburbs of Chicago (yet!), but due to some inbound interest, we recently started exploring franchising, so if any brave soul out there wants to bring The Sweet Spot to Lincolnshire, I’d love to talk!

What has been the most rewarding aspect of running your own business?

Dylan: There’s nothing better than seeing a little kid’s jaw drop when they walk in and see 1,000 candy options or a grandparent finding some candy in our nostalgic section they haven’t seen since they were a little kid (Valomilk!). The smile we get to put on people’s faces and seeing that smile over and over again when they come back—that’s hands down the most rewarding part. Over the next few years, I hope we’ll be able to bring those smiles to more faces in more towns as we go!

Dylan Richter ‘08

The Sweet Spot

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